Tom Hanks pokes fun at ‘very scary’ Toronto film fest

When it comes to herding celebrities to their respective events at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom Hanks has some important feedback.

During a "Cloud Atlas" press conference on Monday, in which Hanks stars, a reporter asked him to use his celebrity power to make it easier to cross the extremely cramped and crowded streets at the annual film festival.

As his "Cloud Atlas" co-star Halle Berry looked on and laughed, Hanks joked, "If I truly had power, I'd be water skiing right now."

Then he happily commiserated with the reporter over the overly-crowded festival pathways: "I got a question about the Toronto International Film Festival," Hanks said with a joking swagger, adding, "Why do you run your celebrities through a pin like we're bulls on the way to slaughter?" As the panel, which was packed with the film's large ensemble cast and its three filmmakers, giggled, Hanks continued, "It's the narrowest [motions with hands] kind of like entrance to a theater I've ever had." While laughing, Hanks ended with, "It's a very very scary enterprise."

Watch the exchange when Hanks rants on TIFF starting at 22:30-in.

The panel moderator was forced to sit on the floor because the stage was so packed with the likes of Hanks, Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Keith David, Ben Whishaw, Zhou Xun, James D'Arcy, David Gyasi and Hugh Grant, not to mention the film's three directors, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski.

Later in the discussion, Hanks artfully poked fun at the media while journalists were in the room recording his every word. He discussed his favorite part of filming the movie: "Don't take this the wrong way, but I loved playing [gangster/author] Dermot Hoggins because he got to throw a critic off a balcony to his horrible crushing death." Hanks chuckled, adding, "That was my favorite part. Oh god how I loved it."